EE own-branded 4G phone breaks cover, bargain basement LTE incoming?

Keeping it in-house?

The UK's leading 4G network, EE, looks set to make LTE connectivity more affordable than ever with the launch of an own-branded handset with next-gen mobile data speeds.

Judging by a leaked snap obtained by Engadget, the company has skinned up Android with its own design aesthetic and also added applications like EE Film and My EE to the homescreen.

Photo aside, little else is known about the handset over than it features Cat 4 LTE technology and as thus would be able to take full advantage of the full 4G speeds, now offered across a large part of the UK.

Theoretically speaking, that would enable any owner of the as-yet-unannounced handset to reach 60Mbps on the firm's double-speed deals.

Lowering costs

EE wouldn't be the first UK mobile network to roll out own-branded handsets. However it would own that distinction in the 4G sector.

Orange (now part of EE) launched the San Diego phone in 2012 as the first handset to run the Intel Medfield processor.

Vodafone has also launched a bunch of dirt cheap handsets in the past, including 2011's Smart 2 phone, and is also planning to introduce an own-branded 4G phone at some point this year.

Would you buy an own-branded EE phone in order to get a better monthly tariff and more monthly data? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.